I was at work on Thursday, like most people, when I learned of the latest horror visited on this nation -- the senseless killings of five U.S. servicemen in Chattanooga, Tenn.

I watched the story unfold on TV and online, as the news continued to get worse and worse.

In the end, four Marines and one Navy petty officer were dead.

The assault felt personal to me in many ways. I served in the military. My son is a Navy petty officer. We both volunteered at storefront recruiting stations, not unlike the one that was riddled with gunfire Thursday morning.

But the closest thing to fitting the bill is a special purpose local option sales tax, which Columbia County officials are using to construct a $9 million cultural center in Evans, a new library for the city of Harlem, a new radio-system for the county’s fire and rescue operation and upgrades to county parks and recreation facilities.

Sales taxes are one the least offensive and intrusive methods a county has to fund public developments and improve the community’s quality of life.

We just got back from a week at the beach and, for the first time in a very long while, everybody came. I was literally surrounded by love for an entire week, and it was the best experience I’ve had in quite a while.

My grandson, Jay, came down from Charleston. He has a new job there and hasn’t been able to get away for a long time, but he made it a point to spend the week with his family. The job is pretty stressful since he councils young people with emotional problems, but I know he’s good at what he does. After all, he is a Fickle.

With regard to the “Notice of Property Tax Increase” that appeared in The Columbia County News-Times July 5, I urge all to encourage your Columbia County Commissioner and the Commission Chairman to reject this increase.

In the current war over the Confederate battle flag, one of the generals is Charles Kelly Barrow, the vice chairman of the Georgia Civil War Commission who is also “commander-in-chief” of the Georgia chapter of Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV).

Barrow tried to rally his troops all across the Internet last week as South Carolina marched inexorably toward removing the Confederate flag displayed at its Statehouse.

As Barrow put it, this wasn’t just a disagreement over displaying a flag at government buildings: it was a fight for the country’s very soul.